La. 1 advocates hope for more cash

Henri Boulet, executive director of the La. 1 Coalition said the state submitted an application for Federal Highway Administration money to provide about $18.4 million to help build a crucial piece of the La. 1 project.

Published: Monday, March 5, 2012 at 5:26 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, March 5, 2012 at 5:26 p.m.

Advocates seeking to save the lone road linking south Lafourche's major oil hub to the rest of the state are hopeful the federal government will grant its request for grant money.

So far, the federal government has denied three requests to help pay for parts of a larger project to convert La. 1 into an elevated highway between U.S. 90 and Port Fourchon. La. 1 is the sole road linking the port to the rest of the state.

Local and state officials have long pointed to industry and government studies and figures that say preserving access to the highway — which is rapidly sinking and is easily overtopped in thunderstorms — should be a top priority for the federal government.

Port Fourchon serves as the supply point for more than half of all oil-and-gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.

The first phase of the project, a 6.8-mile, $137 million stretch of elevated highway between Leeville and Fourchon, opened in December, the culmination of years spent lobbying and waiting.

Henri Boulet, executive director of the La. 1 Coalition, a nonprofit that led the push for highway upgrades, said the state submitted an application for Federal Highway Administration money to provide about $18.4 million to help build a crucial piece of the project.

“We're cautiously optimistic,” Boulet said.

Officials are searching for about $45 million to pay for a small part of the project's second phase, a 3,400-feet stretch in Golden Meadow that will cross over the South Lafourche Levee System and provide a needed access point for workers and construction equipment.

The state has committed $20 million, and private industry has committed $6 million. Boulet said local matches help grant applications because they demonstrate strong local interest in a project.

The Highway Administration has $29 million to distribute to projects throughout the country. It's not clear when the federal government will announce which projects will receive money, though Boulet said it could happen later this month.

Previous applications to help pay for the project's second phase were unsuccessful even when the federal government had vastly larger amounts to distribute.

In all, more than $1 billion worth of improvements are planned for La. 1.

"We will continue to work on the engineering and design of the La. 1 Phase 2 project so we are ready to begin construction when funds do become available," said Jodi Conachen, a spokeswoman for the state Transportation Department.

Boulet acknowledged the difficulties convincing the federal government to help pay for the project and said officials must now consider the possibility that the $45 million for the next phase of the project will have to come without help.

“We have to think outside the box,” Boulet said. “It's a huge challenge because it's so much to get it done.”

State Rep. Truck Gisclair, D-Larose, said the federal government must carry the largest burden of the overall project. Although there are ways the state could better prioritize its money — such as eliminating the state subsidies for sports teams like the New Orleans Saints — Gisclair said it's unfair to ask state government to finance the improvements on its own.

“There's no way the state could commit the full amount. It's impossible,” he said. “We should get this thing built by the feds.”

Staff Writer Nate Monroe can be reached at 448-7639 or at nate.monroe@dailycomet.com.

<p>Advocates seeking to save the lone road linking south Lafourche's major oil hub to the rest of the state are hopeful the federal government will grant its request for grant money.</p><p>So far, the federal government has denied three requests to help pay for parts of a larger project to convert La. 1 into an elevated highway between U.S. 90 and Port Fourchon. La. 1 is the sole road linking the port to the rest of the state.</p><p>Local and state officials have long pointed to industry and government studies and figures that say preserving access to the highway — which is rapidly sinking and is easily overtopped in thunderstorms — should be a top priority for the federal government.</p><p>Port Fourchon serves as the supply point for more than half of all oil-and-gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. </p><p>The first phase of the project, a 6.8-mile, $137 million stretch of elevated highway between Leeville and Fourchon, opened in December, the culmination of years spent lobbying and waiting. </p><p>Henri Boulet, executive director of the La. 1 Coalition, a nonprofit that led the push for highway upgrades, said the state submitted an application for Federal Highway Administration money to provide about $18.4 million to help build a crucial piece of the project.</p><p>“We're cautiously optimistic,” Boulet said.</p><p>Officials are searching for about $45 million to pay for a small part of the project's second phase, a 3,400-feet stretch in Golden Meadow that will cross over the South Lafourche Levee System and provide a needed access point for workers and construction equipment.</p><p>The state has committed $20 million, and private industry has committed $6 million. Boulet said local matches help grant applications because they demonstrate strong local interest in a project.</p><p>The Highway Administration has $29 million to distribute to projects throughout the country. It's not clear when the federal government will announce which projects will receive money, though Boulet said it could happen later this month.</p><p>Previous applications to help pay for the project's second phase were unsuccessful even when the federal government had vastly larger amounts to distribute.</p><p>In all, more than $1 billion worth of improvements are planned for La. 1.</p><p>"We will continue to work on the engineering and design of the La. 1 Phase 2 project so we are ready to begin construction when funds do become available," said Jodi Conachen, a spokeswoman for the state Transportation Department. </p><p>Boulet acknowledged the difficulties convincing the federal government to help pay for the project and said officials must now consider the possibility that the $45 million for the next phase of the project will have to come without help.</p><p>“We have to think outside the box,” Boulet said. “It's a huge challenge because it's so much to get it done.”</p><p>State Rep. Truck Gisclair, D-Larose, said the federal government must carry the largest burden of the overall project. Although there are ways the state could better prioritize its money — such as eliminating the state subsidies for sports teams like the New Orleans Saints — Gisclair said it's unfair to ask state government to finance the improvements on its own.</p><p>“There's no way the state could commit the full amount. It's impossible,” he said. “We should get this thing built by the feds.”</p><p><i>Staff Writer Nate Monroe can be reached at 448-7639 or at nate.monroe@dailycomet.com. </i></p>